The Nash Ensemble continues their Brahms Survey on Onyx, after
having already regaled us with the String
Sextets and two
Piano Quartets. Aided by a very present recorded sound, their
bold excursions into some of Brahms’ most striking, but
hardly most popular music - the two String Sextets opp.88 and
111 - are highly successful, perfectly pleasing additions to the
generously filled catalog. But waiting for them, comparison wise,
are, among others, the Raphael Ensemble’s seamlessly
well played recordings. Along with recordings
by the Hagen
Quartet with Gérard Caussé (DG) and Leipzig
String Quartet+ (MDG), those are at the top of
my heap (MusicWeb International review here).
They are glorious, with total precision, and most importantly:
with lots of heart. The
Guarneri Quartet with Zukerman - an on-demand re-release that
stems from close cooperation between ArkivMusic and Sony/RCA -
is a new, old contender as well.

What the Nash Ensemble has that these others don’t, is a brazen approach to the music. While they offer op.88 with emboldened forward drive, the Raphael Ensemble’s approach is one of slightly greater refinement and sensitive elasticity. The Nash are also consistently, if marginally, faster than the Raphael Ensemble. In the opening movements of both quintets, the Nash-approach works very well. But in the op.88 Grave ed appassionato they introduce an unnecessarily hectic sense. In the op.111 Adagio the delicate balance and the more refined violins make the Raphael Ensemble a more pleasant listen. Explosive and restless as the Nash is, theirs is an ostentatious approach the Raphael does not choose … and yet the latter manage to be just as fiery in the closing movements. Direct comparison thus takes a little off this new recording’s edge. Then again, that’s not how one would ordinarily listen to these works. Their strong impression on its own immediately carries enough appeal to compel return to this interpretation. The acoustic is rich and with generous - not excessive - reverberation.

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